Turkey Says it Will Help Iraq Restore Pipeline

BAGHDAD (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country is prepared to help Iraq’s central government export oil through a pipeline that would largely bypass Iraq’s Kurdish region.

Speaking alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday, Erdogan also said talks were underway on a possible move to close down Turkey’s border with the autonomous Kurdish region, which held a non-binding referendum on independence last month. Both Turkey and Iraq strongly opposed the vote.

Baghdad is demanding that the Kurds hand over a disputed pipeline they have used to export oil through Turkey.

Erdogan said Ankara would provide “every kind of support” to help Iraq reopen another, damaged pipeline, that runs near the city of Mosul.

The two leaders reiterated their support for Iraq’s territorial integrity.

Al-Abadi said: “With the referendum they tried to break up our territory, they tried to redefine our borders.”